Artificial tooth



J. R. SHEPPARD.

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1918.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

A TTOR/VEI UNITED. STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN R. SHEPPARD, on NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THEDENTISTS SUPPLY .coMrAnnAconPoRArIon. or new YORK.

ARTIFICIAL TOOTH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 5, 1920.

Application filedMarch 21, 1918. Serial No. 223,711.

To all wizomit ma-v/ concern:

Be-it known thatI, JOHN R. SHEPPARD, a' citizen of. the United States, and a resident of New 'York, county of; New York, and State-of New York, have invented an Improvement in ArtificialTeeth, of whichthe following is a specification. V

The object of my invention-is to' provide an improved construction of artificial tooth facing suitable for bridge, crown, or metal plate work, in which a strong union between the porcelain tooth and the facing back plate may be obtained with a minimumuse of platinum.

My object is also to provide the. tooth facing with ananchor of sheet metal'having afused inpart attached to the porcelain and extending therefrom very slightly greater.

than. the thickness of the backing metal plate, and said extension of. the anchor shapedto provide end portions whichmay be flanged over the ends ofthe slotted opening in the backing plate to holdit to the porcelain preliminary to the union of the anchor and back plate by solder.

7 Bymy improved.construction, I- amenab'led to reduce the-platinum, heretofore required in corresponding facings, approximatelythirty per cent; and this, when considering the scarcity and very high costv of platinum, is a matter ofthe utmost importance.

My object is furtherto simplify the manufacture of the teeth withthe anchors. attached before applying the backing plates, the advantage being more especially in enabling the mold parts to be provided with a very shallow slot in which to erect the sheet metal'pins duringthe molding of the bisque material, the shallowness of the groove enabling it to be maintained clean and easily cleared of'bisque material should any particles thereof find their: way into the groove.

My invention also consists ofimprovements hereinafter described whereby the above objects and'results are attained, said improvements comprising certain organization and combination of parts which are fully described hereinafter and-more particularly defined in the claims.

Referringto the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tooth facing embodyng my improvements andshowing the backmg plate ready for application; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section showing-my improved facing with the backing plate secured in place; Fig. 3 is a cross section of the same; Flg. a is a sectional view of mold parts showing the manner of'supporting the sheet metal anchor in-the mold during the molding of the tooth; Fig. 5 is a sectional View similar to Fi 2, showing a modification of my improved facing; andFig. 6 is a perspective view of still another modification of the sheet metal anchor forming a part of my invention.

2 is the porcelain facing or tooth proper and may be any of the usual shapes heretofore employed. 3. is the sheet metal anchor structure and is stamped from sheet platinum and molded into the-bisque tooth during manufacture, the vitrifying ofthe tooth forming a strong union between the tooth and anchor. In practice the anchor is held in upri ht position, Fig. 40in the lower half 10 of the mold, andextending into the tooth space 14- between the mold'parts 10 and 11 and in which the bisque material is-packed and molded. In this practice, the wall of the lower mold part 10 is provided with a shallow slot 12 of a-depth just suflicient to receive the anchor portion which extends beyond the tooth, and when the endv portions of the anchor 2 have the extensions 5 or 5 the slot is depressed correspondingly at its ends, as at 13, Fig. 4.

The. general shape of the'sheet metal anchor which is embraced is embedded in the porcelain, may be of'any form desired, so long as it secures itself in the porcelain when fused, but the low projecting portions 4 and 5 of the anchor are especially typical of my invention. Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the anchor, for length of the middle part 4, is very slightly extended above the back surface of the tooth and at each endof this middle portion t there projects a small extension 5. The backing plate 6 is slotted as at 7sufli'ciently to permit the insertion of the parts 4 and 5 of the anchor and then the parts 5, 5, are

flanged outward to hold the backing plate firmly in place (Fig. 2). Solder is next applied, as at 9, thoroughly uniting the anchorto the plate;v By this construction, it will be seen that there is no large portion of the anchor bent over the backing plate which would interfere with its proper and perfect fitting to the bridge, crown or other plate work to which it must be soldered.

Iy improvements therefore, not only provide a great savinginplatinum but insure. arelatively smooth or clean back plate,which" materially facilitates a perfect fit to the.

bridge or other work in the mouth.

- InjFig/5 I have shown the anchor as formed 'witha shallow V out, forming the pointed'ends 5 which are the equivalent of the anchor extensions 5 in Fig. 1, said points being adapted to be flanged over the backing plate 6 in the same manner,'the flanging not yet having been done in Fig. 5.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a construction of sheet anchor in which the part 4* between the extension 5 is not cut down as in Fig. 1. In this case the end parts 5 may be flanged'over the'ends of the slot 7 of the backingv plate, and the intermediate portion 4 pressed down and soldered as before. It

will be noted that the end parts 5, 5, are formed by the cuts or slots 5, and hence may be flanged over the backing plate as in thecase of Fig. 1.

I have shown-the tooth facing with only a single anchor, by way of example, but it is to be understood that two such anchors may be employed where greater strength is required, as single or double anchors are commonly used inartificial teeth as circumstances. may dictate. I therefore, do not restrict myself in this respect.

I have also referred to the anchors as formed-of sheet platinum, as this metal is the'only available metal suitable for the purpose, because it withstands the fusing temperature of thezporcelain and also is not injuriously :aifect'ed by acids and alkalies of the mouth; but I do not confine myself to this particular metal, as my invention would be equally applicable to any alloy of it or other specially prepared metalwhich may be, hereafter found as a satisfactory substi that I do not restrict myself to the details,

as the same are susceptible of modification in. various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Having now descr bed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An artificial tooth facing, comprising a porcelain body having a sheet metal anchor secured therein by the fused porcelain body, and extending slightly from the body throughout itslength in a direction parallel to the back of the tooth body, said anchor having a relatively great length as compare d'to the depth of its longitudinally projecting portion which extends from the back of'the tooth body, said depth being very slight and said anchor having at each end a portion projecting to a slightly greater distance from the backof the tooth body to provide widely separated portions adapted to be flanged in opposite directions in the plane ofthe sheet metal anchor.

2. In an artificial tooth facing, a backing plate, combined with a porcelain body having a sheet metal anchor secured therein by the fused porcelain body and. extending slightly from the body throughout its length in an outward direction from the back of said tooth body, theprojecting part of said anchor having a relatively great length as compared to its outwardly exposed depth and extending through the backingplate, said outwardly exposed depth of the anchor being very slightly greater than the thickness of the plate and having adjacent each end a portion independently and separately upset or closely flanged over the backing plate to provide mechanical attachment thereto, and said'backing plate being of a thickness very slightly less than the depth of the end portions of the anchor before being upset or flanged, and a soldered union between the anchor and backing plate.

' 3. An anchor for an artificial tooth facing comprising, an elongated flat sheet metal body having one of itslongest sides shaped to be held in a porcelain tooth and its other longest side provided adjacent its widely separated ends with independent fianging' portions adapted to be flanged down independently in the plane of the. anchor body, whereby said anchor provides independent flanging' portions separated by'an intermediate edge portion.

l.- An artificial'tooth facing, comprising a porcelain tooth body, a backing plate therefor having an elongated slot, a sheet metal anchor fused in the porcelain and extending through the slot of the backing plate to approximately the rear face thereof and having its opposite ends flanged over the ends of the slot in the direction of its length,

and theianchor and backing plate securely soldered together.

5. In an artificial tooth'facing, a backing plate having a long and narrow slot therein, combined with a porcelain tooth body fitting close to the backing plate and having a sheet metal'anchor secured to the fused porcelain body and extending from the body throughout its length in an outward direction from the back of the tooth, the projecting part of said anchor having a relatively great length as compared to its outwardly projecting depth, the maximum depth thereof very slightly exceeding the thickness of the plate and extending through the aperture of said being further reinforced by the application of solder.

In testimony of which invention, I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN R. SHEPPARD. 

